I think Evidence Based Practice can seem daunting to many librarians who have so much on their plates already -- rubrics, collecting surveys and polls and portfolios, etc. However, if EBP is presented as a few simple things that librarians can do, instead of a slew of different practices, it won't be so seemingly difficult. Please see below for a couple of ideas:
In the DiScala and Subramaniam article ("Evidence-based practice: A practice towards
leadership credibility among school librarians," 2011), they mention an online information-literacy skills evaluative tool called TRAILS. This is a good tool for librarians to use for EBP, because it's already been created. Librarians do not need to reinvent the wheel -- if evaluation of students' skills is necessary, this tool can easily be used.
In addition, a more creative means of EBP is student portfolios -- something that also shouldn't be hard to create. If students are posting work on blogs or the library website, twitter feeds, and other Web 2.0 tools, the librarian can easily create a compendium of some of the students' best work to present to the principal, school board, parents' meeting, etc. The library website can continually feature students' best work, for the school community and parents to view and explore. This will also increase the visibility of the library in the community at large, and be its own advocacy tool as well!
1 comment:
I have used the TRAILS assessment tool in my own research on information literacy and worked with the developers on making a shorter version for my study participants. I highly recommend it as a tool. Thanks for an honest post about the reality of trying to stay on top of EBP. Your suggestions are practical!
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